After Criticism, the Administration Is Praised for Final Rules on Education Grants
Summary:
Obama has proposed a "Race to the Top" program, in which states can receive grants for improving their education. In all, there is $4 billion that can be given to schools. By mid-January applications must be completed in order to compete for the grants. The applications are judged based off a 500 point award system. Points are distributed in the following manner: 125 for having a detailed agenda of change, 70 for creating higher standards and higher quality tests, 47 for making computerized systems that track students' progress, 138 for recruiting quality teachers, 50 for turning around failing school, 40 for the growth of charter schools, and 30 for other miscellaneous changes. The majority of points are focused on "rewarding for work on new standardized tests". States will receive money based on their size, meaning that the four largest states, California, Texas, New York, and Florida, will be able to receive between $350-$700 million.
Reaction:
I think the "Race to the Top" program is a positive idea for the education system. I like the fact that states are required to put a lot of work into their applications, and money is not simply going to be handed over to them. Hopefully this will lead to real changes taking place in school systems. Also, the largest determining factor in the application is changing standardized tests. This includes improving their quality and holding students to higher standards. I think this is an incentive for schools in many ways. Schools always need more money. If they really want to receive this grant they will find a way to instill more drive in their students. Better performance on standardized tests will lead to more money for the school, and an overall better education in the long run.
Summary: Should SAT scores still be required for colleges? Many schools are saying no. Paul Wellstone, a U.S. Senator, fights against standardized testing. When he took the SATs he only received an 800 out of 1,600, yet look what he as accomplished today. More colleges are deciding to abandon SAT scores and base admittance off of class rank. This upcoming fall, 280 colleges will not use the SATs. College board argues that the SATs are important because it helps to cut out grade inflation from high schools. Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania stopped requiring SATs in 1997. Last year, 80% of students still decided to submit their scores. Their average score was 1,183. Non-submitters averaged only around 964. However, after the first year at the college, the non-submitters received only 1/3 of a letter grade lower than the SAT submitters. Overall, schools that rely on SATs are discouraging prospective students who think they are not qualified or that do not test well. Reaction:
Summay: Many people are having controversial feelings about Obama’s merit pay plan. It has not exactly been specified yet, will teachers be paid more for “hard-to-staff” schools, areas where there are shortages, mentoring other teachers, or teaching longer days? For the most part, the merit pay will go to teachers based off their students’ test scores. In essence, this would be a reward for better teaching. One woman, Diane, thinks this is a bad idea and it will cause many issues. First off, teachers will only be teaching what is required on standardized tests, which will limit the curriculum. Second, this will lead to “gaming the system” and cheating. Teachers may exclude low-performing students’ scores in order to receive more money. Third, this is inaccurate because many test scores are flawed due to statistical errors and measurement errors. Fourth, the merit pay system is not fair for all teachers, because it mainly applies to reading and math and excludes other departments. Fifth, there are many outside factors that can affect students’ scores, such as motivation, weather, and distraction. Lastly, the time of year the tests are given could have an impact on results. Overall, Diane believes that this will not help schools, and it may end up hurting them. A program like this was used in Manhattan. Merit pay was applied to 200 New York City schools and there have yet to be positive results. In all this will probably hurt the education system because important subjects are going to be left out of the curriculum. Reaction:
Gains in standardized test scores: Evidence of diminishing returns to achievement
After Criticism, the Administration Is Praised for Final Rules on Education Grants
Summary:
Obama has proposed a "Race to the Top" program, in which states can receive grants for improving their education. In all, there is $4 billion that can be given to schools. By mid-January applications must be completed in order to compete for the grants. The applications are judged based off a 500 point award system. Points are distributed in the following manner: 125 for having a detailed agenda of change, 70 for creating higher standards and higher quality tests, 47 for making computerized systems that track students' progress, 138 for recruiting quality teachers, 50 for turning around failing school, 40 for the growth of charter schools, and 30 for other miscellaneous changes. The majority of points are focused on "rewarding for work on new standardized tests". States will receive money based on their size, meaning that the four largest states, California, Texas, New York, and Florida, will be able to receive between $350-$700 million.
Reaction:
I think the "Race to the Top" program is a positive idea for the education system. I like the fact that states are required to put a lot of work into their applications, and money is not simply going to be handed over to them. Hopefully this will lead to real changes taking place in school systems. Also, the largest determining factor in the application is changing standardized tests. This includes improving their quality and holding students to higher standards. I think this is an incentive for schools in many ways. Schools always need more money. If they really want to receive this grant they will find a way to instill more drive in their students. Better performance on standardized tests will lead to more money for the school, and an overall better education in the long run.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,997939,00.html
School Testing: No SAT Scores Required
Summary:
Should SAT scores still be required for colleges? Many schools are saying no. Paul Wellstone, a U.S. Senator, fights against standardized testing. When he took the SATs he only received an 800 out of 1,600, yet look what he as accomplished today. More colleges are deciding to abandon SAT scores and base admittance off of class rank. This upcoming fall, 280 colleges will not use the SATs. College board argues that the SATs are important because it helps to cut out grade inflation from high schools.
Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania stopped requiring SATs in 1997. Last year, 80% of students still decided to submit their scores. Their average score was 1,183. Non-submitters averaged only around 964. However, after the first year at the college, the non-submitters received only 1/3 of a letter grade lower than the SAT submitters. Overall, schools that rely on SATs are discouraging prospective students who think they are not qualified or that do not test well.
Reaction:
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/Bridging-Differences/2009/04/whats_wrong_with_merit_pay.htmlWhat's Wrong With Merit Pay?
Summay:Many people are having controversial feelings about Obama’s merit pay plan. It has not exactly been specified yet, will teachers be paid more for “hard-to-staff” schools, areas where there are shortages, mentoring other teachers, or teaching longer days? For the most part, the merit pay will go to teachers based off their students’ test scores. In essence, this would be a reward for better teaching. One woman, Diane, thinks this is a bad idea and it will cause many issues. First off, teachers will only be teaching what is required on standardized tests, which will limit the curriculum. Second, this will lead to “gaming the system” and cheating. Teachers may exclude low-performing students’ scores in order to receive more money. Third, this is inaccurate because many test scores are flawed due to statistical errors and measurement errors. Fourth, the merit pay system is not fair for all teachers, because it mainly applies to reading and math and excludes other departments. Fifth, there are many outside factors that can affect students’ scores, such as motivation, weather, and distraction. Lastly, the time of year the tests are given could have an impact on results.
Overall, Diane believes that this will not help schools, and it may end up hurting them. A program like this was used in Manhattan. Merit pay was applied to 200 New York City schools and there have yet to be positive results. In all this will probably hurt the education system because important subjects are going to be left out of the curriculum.
Reaction:
Gains in standardized test scores: Evidence of diminishing returns to achievement